Peter Gaulke, Comedy Writer Interview and Comedy Set Show
This was one I was excited about, getting to interview a comic I thoroughly enjoyed on my stages; but one who has made a great career as a comedy writer. Starting with Saturday Night Live, to writing “Ice Age Meltdown” and “Say It Isn’t So” with the Farrelly Brothers.
Peter Gaulke was one of the most physical acts I ever worked with, from his famous levitation bit to “Torso-Man”…always an audience favorite. He has just written a novel “Red Bag” out in 2022, and currently the author of “Peter Gaulke’s Unseen America” available on Amazon now!
Short promo to let audience know some of the best interviews happened early in the podcast history!
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Podcast Transcript:
Scott Edwards:
Hi, and welcome to this week’s show. Hey, before you start, I have to do a little Christmas gift plug. I have a new book called 20 questions answered about being a stand up comic. It would make a great gift for anybody interested in any form of entertainment, but especially stand up comedy, has lots of great information, and is a good training tool for anybody interested in show business. Hey, if you get a chance, go to Amazon search my name. Our Scott Edwards, or the title of the book. 20 questions answered about being a stand up comic and pick up a copy today makes a great gift. All right, it’s time to start this week’s show. Enjoy.
Announcer:
This is another episode of stand up comedy, your host and emcee. Celebrating 40 plus years on the fringe of show business stories, interviews and comedy sets from the famous and not so famous. Here’s your host and emcee Scott and words.
Scott Edwards:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another great episode of stand up comedy, your host MC. And this interview is something I’ve been looking forward to doing for a long time. One of my favorite acts ever to perform at laughs unlimited. Not only a terrific guy and a very, very successful comedy writer. We’ll get into that later. But uh, one of the most weird and fun stand up comics ever to play the club. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Peter gawky. Wow, Peter. It is so wild to get you on the show. Thanks for joining us today.
Peter Gualke:
Hey, it’s great to be here. Scott. I haven’t talked to you in 20 years.
Scott Edwards:
Yeah, well, that’s the kind of friend I am. But I’ve been following your life and career through our mutual comedy friends. And it’s just so great to get you on the podcast. Finally, I have so much to share about your successful career. But let’s go back to the beginnings. How did you end up getting into comedy?
Peter Gualke:
Well, let’s see. You know what, I’ll just give you the brief synopsis. Okay, well,
Scott Edwards:
just I just interrupt. I mean, weren’t you? In college? You were like a professional gymnast, right? Well, there are no real professional gymnast unless you’re like circus clowns or something. But, but I was. I was a gymnast at UCLA. And then I got bored with it. I would always get bored with stuff. So I would just kind of quit and and do something else. And so I started doing some I just put together like a comedy, not like goof pratfalls and stuff but just odd little things for a comedy floor exercise routine. And, and I did it. And I started doing it at the end, like the last person up on the apparatus on the floor exercise thing. And I would do that at big arenas and you know, like, competitions and stuff, because it was a good setup. Everybody thought I was a real, you know, competitor, but then I wasn’t and it slowly evolved into some weird, weird routine that would get huge, huge applause laughs and stuff. Oh, how cool. What a fun way to take your talents. We should explain to the audience. You’re a pretty tall lanky guy. I mean, you don’t see a lot of muscle, but you’re really strong in those days.
Peter Gualke:
super strong. I’m actually I actually yeah, I was I was told to be a gymnast. And so you know, it was probably I’m still feeling that now on my shoulders and joints. But But then, you know, I, I decided a number of years after that to do the to go on the gong show. A friend of mine said, Hey, why don’t you go on the gong show and we’ll make some money. And I said, Well, yeah, but I’m going on the gong show. And he goes, Yeah, we’ll make some money. And so, so I I, cuz I used to do these weird little things, dog impressions and stuff. And so I decided I went to the Comedy Store because we decided, okay, well, that’d be a good place to try it. Because it’s a place where people go and on stage, and they can do goofy stuff. So I went to the Comedy Store, and I never seen a comedian really other than on TV. And so the first comics I ever saw, I was in the back of the room I saw with Lenny Schultz, who used to like and he was like pouring cereal over his head and stuff on stage. And so I thought, well, I could do that, you know. And so, so I so I put together a routine that week, and I and I went up the next SEC signed up the next week and I went on and I did a wrestling match where I played six characters and all this weird just jumping around stuff. And I got a standing ovation of my first time on stage. Oh my gosh, which is actually the only standing ovation I ever got in my life.
Scott Edwards:
Well, that’s still encouraging.
Peter Gualke:
Yes, and then I then I went and I did miss the I went and did her comedy workshop. She wanted me to go in the comedy workshop. So I went in that And Dannemora and Robert McGuire, we’re we’re helping people with their jokes, you know? And I thought, well, I don’t want it. I want to know, like, how do you hold a microphone, you know, because I didn’t know anything. And so then I went and made fun of the workshop the next week when they gave me another spot, and Mitzi didn’t like that. And so I didn’t, really wasn’t really able to work the Comedy Store.
Scott Edwards:
After that for a while, aired yourself to the Queen of Yeah, right
Peter Gualke:
away my second time on stage. And so, so then I didn’t do comedy for about a year I just went, I went to Europe for a while. And I came back and I decided, I just thought of nothing else to do. I just decided to go and do these, like McCabe’s guitar shop and these funky little places and, and I kind of got into it, it was fun, you know, you never really think about a career back then it was really not a career unless you’re on a TV show or something. So. So that’s where I met all these guys like Fred Wolf and Bob Morley, Larry Jacobson, and these other guys who were doing comedy and, and they’re still my friends to this day. And so yeah, and that was kind of the that’s kind of how I got into it.
Scott Edwards:
Well, that was interesting, because you you were really a entertaining gymnasts kind of, I mean, I’ve never seen a comedy gymnasts and I, but I know you and I’ve seen your work so I can picture it. And I think it would be hilarious. And then you tried stand up and didn’t really have the best of luck. So now you’ve you a couple of years have gone by and you’re playing with it again. Did you work with any improv groups? Did you go straight out as a soloist? How did that yeah,
Peter Gualke:
you know, I just, I just really did all the little potluck stuff until sort of the comedy boom started. And, and there were like, there was a I was actually taking the test to be a fireman. And I probably would have gotten on that tour. But I went out and I did the comedy haven in Palm Springs, and I and they were just starting up. And I did like, I opened out there or something. And I made 35 bucks. And I thought wow, this is this is what I want to do. So I decided not to become a fireman. Cuz I can make 35 bucks a night doing stand up comedy, which I didn’t even I didn’t wasn’t even sure what it was that you know, it was just going up on stage and get a free beer and jump around. Yeah.
Scott Edwards:
Oh, yeah. Who needs Oh, yeah, insurance and a solid salary and job? I can.
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, I know. I know. So then then, yeah, we just, I kind of really went out on my own. I didn’t really hang out with any of these guys. I knew them. But I never really hung out with them. I worked my own little places like McCabe’s guitar shop, and I would start opening for bands there. And there’s a place called the White House over on Pico Boulevard, where the Zucker Abraham people did their show. They’re big, you know, the guys that did airplane, they had a live show that they did there was so I, I kind of worked there a little bit. And then that was it. It just sort of kind of evolved as the comedy boom. Took off in the 80s.
Scott Edwards:
You just wrote a wave. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that was it. Yeah. So you start off very physical. Were you starting to write material? I mean, do you remember your first joke or bit?
Peter Gualke:
You know, I did all my everything I did was sort of physical. Everything I started to do, because I didn’t. I didn’t really I didn’t read a book. I failed English all through school. And, and then I, I didn’t read a book, really, I read comic books. But I didn’t read a real book until it’s probably about 21 years old. And I couldn’t write at all couldn’t write a sentence, because I never I didn’t pick a book home from school. I failed all my classes. I just went surfing mostly. Yeah. And then I
Scott Edwards:
times surfer, being from the Southern California area, we I guess I should have mentioned that in in your intro. So gymnast surfer? What’s interesting is that you’re saying that you didn’t read or write. And yet what we’re going to get to later in the conversation, you ended up making a great career as a comedy writer. So that’s going to be an interesting transition question and a little bit, but right now I want to focus on your stand up. So you were doing this. Do you know how you came to work for me? Or were you just referred by Bob?
Peter Gualke:
No, I think I was talking to Bob about this. And I think that Bob? I said because of course everybody wanted to work any club that was running and so so i think i bob recommended that. He said, Hey, if you like me like Pete and so I think he had me out there as a middle. Maybe an opener. I’m not even sure what I did. But I went out there and I did. I did the laps in downtown Sacramento which is really, really one of the best clubs in the country probably. Oh, and yeah, was just great. You know, it was just just the setup of the whole room was just so energized, you know. And it was, it was good. And so yeah, I think that’s how I started through Bob Warli. got in there and then, and then just kept going back a couple times a year, you know? Well, it’s always fun,
Scott Edwards:
it was a real treat for us. And again, it’s going to be difficult to let the audience share in the excitement I have and in talking with you about this, because I have such great memories, and people try to picture in your mind. So I’m going to mention three quick bits. And I’d love you to tell me how they came about or whatever. But the first was, one of the times, you would you threw a rope down the middle aisle and you pretended to repel into the audience. And you would grab a woman out of one of the one of the chairs, and then pretend to climb back up on stage, like your rope climbing with this girl in tow. And that’s how you got to volunteer to do the next trick, which I always thought was amazing, which is your amazing levitation bit. And people in the audience picture this tall Langley guy between two chairs, and he would have the volunteers pull the chairs out and you would just boom, thump. You’d hear his body hit the ground. And then you would have the poor girl, try to drag a hula hoop under you, as you’re announcing to the audience that I’m levitating. It’s only centimeters off the ground, but I’m floating and it feels amazing. It’s like being on a cloud. It was so so funny. To see that each and every night. And it was so funny. I was worried about you’re hurting your head and suing. But it was hilarious. And then I have to mention I think you’re you’re pretty premier piece the piece that forever ties with the Peter gawky name. And and I don’t have, I don’t think I have any video of it, which is so sad, but torso man. And again, ladies and gentlemen, you’d have to see it to believe it. But again, really tall guy. And he had this t shirt that went down to like his knees, he would pull his pants down almost to his knees, stuffed a pillow into the back of his pants. So it looked like a butt. And you would dance around his torso man had to be hands down one of the funniest physical bits I ever saw Peter. So I mean, thanks so much for all the laughter You brought me. But those bits in particular in my memory? How did those come about for you?
Peter Gualke:
Well, you know, those were, I really, I don’t know, I don’t remember actually how I came up with any of them. Other than them just being sort of like, you know, like anything, it just sort of pops in your head. And then you just put it together, you know. And I think my friend played the piano. When I was really I kind of came up with that torso man thing when I when I was first getting started, and then it just sort of evolved. It was it was just goofing off really in my friend’s living room, and just sort of came up with it. And I was singing songs and stuff at the time. And so I I just kind of evolved into what it was, you know,
Scott Edwards:
that’s one of the great joys about the bit was that you were playing it straight. I mean, you were like, I’m gonna sing a song. And then dance around with your ass down around your knees. Did you have that shirt? Custom made?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, yeah, it was. I don’t even know how I Where did I get that made? I have no idea or somebody? Oh, you know, what I was doing? I was I was actually dating a clothes designer. At the time, when and so she sort of made me like three shirts like that. And, and think I just use those until they are basically just in tatters. And then by then I’d stopped doing stand up comedy. I think a drag one out of a closet not long ago was in a box. And but yeah, that was that was just sort of a, you know, a moment of inspiration. And I had to do those big I had like about three or four big bits that I would always do. And it was hard because I I really wanted to move on to other things. And I was I was becoming more verbal in my, in my show. And I much rather do that because it was just, it was just easier to do. And but it was hard to do that. Yeah, it’s hard to do that. Because people wanted to see like club owners they always would get on my back for not doing certain things and you know, everybody did it was like Well, why don’t you do this?
Scott Edwards:
Because I didn’t show but it was so funny and so memorable that I yeah, it might have been one of those asshole was an owner saying, hey, what about torso man? I mean, he’s hilarious. No That one didn’t have any real physical risk. But the levitation, I’m not kidding audience. I mean, he’s in a stretched across the chair, and he would have the girls pull the chairs out, and you would just hear his head thump down on the ground. And that had to take it a toll. If you were doing that on a regular basis, I mean, at my club, that’d be six nights a week.
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was trying to figure out ways to put padding in my clothes.
Scott Edwards:
But it was funny. I mean, it I know that you there was some sacrifice, but both torso man. You know, I was talking to somebody about you. Rappelling out into the audience, and then grabbing a volunteer and rappelling and climbing back up. Did that only happen at my club? Or was that part of your regular routine?
Peter Gualke:
Oh, that’s something I would do, I would sort of change things up a little bit with that stuff. And like, there’s one thing I used to do, I used to run with my fingers on the stool, and then I would start bawling. And I’d fall Yeah, I do the Olympics on a stool. And then I would fall through the start to fall and fall through the air. And then I would run through the crowd. And then what I would usually do is run out the back door. I did this at a few places. And I was I was working in Santa Barbara, barn grill. And they had a big picture window out to the street. And it was a Saturday night. So the streets are packed with people. And one show I felt to the audience that I ran out the door and people could see me out to the big picture window through the from the club. And then I there’s a limo out, there’s Park. And I said I hopped in the limo. I didn’t know who these guys were. And I said, Hey, can you drive off the block. And they drove me around the block. And then I came back around and the limo pulled up to the club again, and the door opens and I ran out and I ran back on Two Days and continue to say it just went nuts. Yeah, it’s crazy. Because I just left I just left in a limo. It was just hilarious that the guy actually let me in his limo and drove on the block. But I think it was kind of watching the show from the outside a little bit, you know?
Scott Edwards:
Oh, that is so funny. Peter, well, you always were a fun guy to work with and very physical, a lot of physical humor, as you mentioned, you did start to add more dialogue to your act. And I think that, in fact, later after the interview, I’m going to share some of your material with the audience. What I wanted to get the basis was is that you learn to write and perform stand up comedy. Really, after all the physical stuff, right?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, yeah, I think I, I what I ended up actually, you know, what I did is I as I when I came up with jokes, like I work with Dennis Miller and different people and, and, and I would come up with a joke. And they think of it too. I wanted to be different, you know. And I didn’t realize until a couple years in where I said, You know what, I should be actually not giving away material and I should be doing this stuff myself. And so I started to, to add more, more verbal, like, you know, jokey, jokey material to my act. Well, but it took me a while to figure it out, you know?
Scott Edwards:
Well, you you ended up being a headliner, for me a very successful stand up physical. And as you said, more verbiage in your sets. I know that you did an evening at the Improv and you appeared on Conan O’Brien’s late night show. So you got a little television awareness as a stand up comic, but you at what year? or at what point? Did you kind of start more writing than performing? Or how did that transition happen? Well,
Peter Gualke:
I think as as the stand up career continued, it just got to be I was doing it for too long, you know, and I and I remember being down at the San Diego improv and stand in the back of the room, and I was going to go up to headline and I’m going, you know, and I’m standing back there with this bag of props and sitting there and I’m going, you know, I’m about to go and do the same thing I’ve been doing. Like, you know, 12 years, or more, and, and it just, it just dawned on me it was so sort of surreal, like, like, what was I? What am I doing, you know,
Scott Edwards:
right. And, and you wanted a future? How long could you do it? And I know Yeah, exactly. It’s just like, new you ended up being a punch up guy and a writer, in fact, in the early 90s, didn’t you do some work with Saturday Night Live?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, I What happened is I started writing sketch stuff and shooting videos and things. And so then I, Fred Wolf actually was working at Saturn live and he said, Hey, why don’t you send in a couple of sketches. And this week, and see if and I’ll put them through? I’ll put them through the you know, I can get a sketch for it for you to see if, you know, I’ll run a sketch through the because they would take about maybe, you know, 40 sketches was a week they would write, and Fred would have would throw the sketch into the group the batch. And so I wrote
Scott Edwards:
a sketch. And if it aired, you got paid something, right? Yeah, if it aired,
Peter Gualke:
I would, you know, maybe make some money. And so I sent it in and it got on the show. And so they, they hired me on for, they hired me on as a guest writer for a couple weeks. And I went out there and worked as a Guest writer, and then they, they liked me enough to hire me on for the season. And I so that’s how I got on Saturday Night Live. And I just flew out there and did that. That’s
Scott Edwards:
really a cool story, though, that you kind of backdoor joue into that. And we should explain to the audience that Fred Wolf used to also be a stand up comic ended up really diving into comedy writing. And as he, as Peter mentioned, was writing for Saturday live and ended up doing several big movies, and he’s still in the business and going strong. But you and Fred are tight friends in you were already even before this, weren’t you kind of punching up some of his work and in collaborating on a few things?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, we, we worked a little bit together just over the years on goofy little projects and stuff and things, trying to sell a couple things, which we never did. But But before that, I had never, like I I had to sort of like teach myself how to write, and then also how to type and how to, you know, so basically, I had to teach myself how to write a sentence and a paragraph and then write us and then slowly write a little video sketch and then a sketch and then screenplay, you know. So it kind of evolved, where I had to teach myself everything
Scott Edwards:
you never taught because classes or courses.
Peter Gualke:
No, I never took any classes and didn’t like reading books, because I was lazy. So I, I just sort of taught myself by doing, you know, just by by writing the stuff and then looking at it myself and deciding whether it was good or not. Well, then
Scott Edwards:
that’s pretty amazing, Peter, I mean, you’re taking a guy that was a gymnast, and then a very physical stand up comic, he slowly develops into comedy writing from self. And then he’s collaborating with one of the most famous comedy writers out there, Fred Wolf, ends up on Saturday Night Live contributing bits and stuff. I mean, that transition, even though I know it took 10 or 12, maybe 15 years, was all self taught. And I just think that’s so incredible that you were able to pull that off. And I know to you, you were just living your life and growing as you went. But looking back on it, it must seem pretty amazing.
Peter Gualke:
Well, I think that the one thing that you sort of, are running scared, because you know, each step of the way you’re doing something that you haven’t done before, and, and you don’t think you’re very good at it, like even to this day, I don’t think I’m very good at anything I do. So, so I’m always like, sort of like knighting stared, you know, which is actually a good title for a book is, and that would be, yeah, but it’s like, you know, you’re never like, anything that you’re doing is just, you know, God is awful, you know. And so you have to work, I always felt like I had to work so much longer and harder, you know, because, because friends of mine who are writers, collaborators, and stuff, and partners are just so much smarter, and they’re so much better at the craft of writing that I am. And so, so I have to really, I feel like surrounded by such, you know, good creative writers, I always feel like I have to really, you know, work a lot harder than them in order to get something that is even close to being as good as what they do.
Scott Edwards:
Yeah, but we we is the audience knee. You know, this is a great example of how a lot of comedy entertainers, a lot of entertainers, just in general, have a basic insecurity. And that some people quit and give up due to that insecurity and others turned it into the driving force that takes them into a profession, like stand up comedy, and in your case, comedy writing. So let me see if this is how sucky you are. Let’s see, you became a bit writer on Saturday Night Live for a season. That sounds horrible. Oh, wait a minute. You work with the Farley brothers on the movie. Say it is and so then you were a writer on Black Knight, you help write Ice Age meltdown. And then you collaborated with Fred Wolf on drunk parents. And I imagine there’s a whole lot of other projects. So for a guy that self taught and not a very good comedy writer, shit you’ve done well.
Peter Gualke:
I did. I did. Okay, you know, I wish I had done more and been smarter about you know, saying Well,
Scott Edwards:
Peter, this is a great history of talent that you have shared with the world in touching all these products. Jackson being a part of all these things. And it all comes out of that crazy. Pete bulky mind. I mean, you are different. I mean, you do approach comedy from a different view than than a lot of people. I mean, it’s incredible.
Peter Gualke:
Well, thank Scott. You don’t sound like he will Hauser No,
Scott Edwards:
sorry. I just, I was so impressed that it’s kind of shocking to me that you’re so hard on yourself. And wait a minute, didn’t you? Do your own movie strange wilderness?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, I did. Actually, I wrote strange wilderness while I was working at Saturn and alive. And then that’s why I left I left to shoot it. And I shot it with Fred and I starring in it and but we never finished it. And it’s actually a finished movie now. And it’s great. But then we ended up Fred and I decided to do this move, do the movie it Happy Madison later and reshoot it. And that maybe wasn’t the best idea. But it was okay. And so
Scott Edwards:
it didn’t do as well as I think it would. To be honest. I think if you and Fred were starring in it, for me, personally, I think it might have ended up being a better movie. You did it with a Happy Madison production company. Isn’t that?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, yeah, the original one. I love the original one, but nobody will probably ever see it, which is a shame because it’s just, it’s really great. You know? And, and, you know, those are some of the mistakes you make along the way and how you, you know, the breaks, you know, how you how you do things? Like, if you don’t do something in a specific way, then it doesn’t work. It just takes one thing, one thing to go wrong, you know, and you can kind of, you know, it’s, it’s,
Scott Edwards:
you know, as a business entrepreneur, there’s lots of decisions that I regret that didn’t go the way I thought there’s a lot of decisions I made that went well. And I think that when you look back in your life, it’s a lot easier with, you know, 2020 hindsight to say, well, if I’d done this, or if I’d done that, but the reality of the moment is, you’re desperate to get your movie that you wrote out. And if you’ve got somebody like, Happy Madison productions behind it, give me the name of the actor that owns Adam Sandler, right? So you got an Adam Sandler Company production company, behind your movie, I am sure that at a certain point, you lost control, and decisions were either put on you or told that this would be the way to go. And it just didn’t work out the way you wanted. It wasn’t like you made a mistake. It was just the direction that that moment it took you and it is too bad. Although if you have a private viewing of strange wilderness, I would love to see it. But anyway, the boys do actually. Oh, I’d love to do that. Yeah, people want to see it. Oh, great. Well, we should do that. And we could do a podcast about it, because I did see the other one. And I could see some of your crazy genius behind it. But I also felt that the overall acting and production didn’t come through the way I would have envisioned it with you and Fred there. But I’m also a slave to you know what? Show business in Hollywood is very powerful. I actually partnered with a guy to put together a television series for children, and teaching the art of entertainment, juggling magic, ventriloquism and stuff. And I just got overran by Hollywood, I ended up losing a ton of money. The production never went anywhere, the half of it got stolen by my so called partner. There were lawsuits. It was crazy. And I’m only telling the story because I thought I knew what I was doing. And the power of Hollywood and the people that control things in LA can just overrun you. You know, I was not prepared for it. I was literally the hick from out of town that was trying to get something done in and just got squashed by the various powers of Hollywood as an industry. It is not an easy game to play. But you’ve been successful in other ways. I mean, you look at all the movies you’ve written on.
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, yeah. That’s a no I think that it’s having a having a long career is I think like this is is kind of rare. And so and that’s just, I mean, I have nothing else to do so I may as well just keep doing that. Well, you’ve had a lot of good anything else.
Scott Edwards:
Well, we’re gonna move on to your next project. But before we get to that I mentioned like four quick movies that you worked on, there’s probably others. But in your 20 plus year history as a comedy writer, for television and movies, has there been something that you know, really stood out? That was fun and you’re proud of?
Peter Gualke:
You know, I would say, really, I would say other than a few things I’ve written, there are a couple things I’ve written that have never been made that are the, the, you know, I’m most proud of, and middle that may never get made, but they’re, but they’re, I love them, you know. And I like the original strange boulders that we did. I think that, to me is like, for me was like, the highlight of fun and creativity for me. And, and then I think just the stuff that I have, that I’m doing right now, to me is is the best stuff I’ve ever done, you know, and it’s, it’s fun. And, and I don’t know what will happen with it, but it’s, but I always I always like whatever it is I’m working on. I think whatever I have this lying around that I’m still working on, is always to me, what’s the potential of it? I think that’s great. Well, you know,
Scott Edwards:
what, tell us what you’re working on right now. Peter. I,
Peter Gualke:
I wrote a script with Kevin Heffernan, a friend of mine who was doing the broken lizard group and we wrote a script called or we wrote one called 12 Days of Christmas that’s gonna, that Amazon is going to make here I think soon, maybe in the spring. And and then I just have a couple of books. I sold a book with Jerry swallow, who’s an old guy wrote ice age with and, and it’s a children’s novel, Christmas novel, and it’s it’s gonna come out not for like, a while it’s going to be a couple years, I think, but with Harper Harper Collins, fold with them.
Scott Edwards:
And then when you let, you’re going a little fast, so you’re working on a project called the 12 days of Christmas, but it’ll come out in the spring. That’s that’s all we know. It’s gonna get made. It’s gonna get shot. Oh, next year, maybe? Yeah, it’ll probably
Peter Gualke:
err next fall. And then the following fall is when the this red bag, it’s a Christmas novel is going to come out with Harper Collins.
Scott Edwards:
it and then I hear so. Well, yeah,
Peter Gualke:
there were a little slow in getting some editing done. And so because it’s been with COVID, it’s so crazy. The whole publishing world. Yeah. And so it Yeah, so it’s going to be a little later to come out. And that’s going to be great. But it’s really a shame that’s going to take so long, but that’s okay. There’s plenty of other things to do. Right. And
Scott Edwards:
so Wait, let’s, before we go on, I want to make sure the audience knows mark your calendars, folks. Keep an eye out in the next 12 months for the 12 days of Christmas. A TV special on which channel? Couldn’t be a movie on Amazon movie on Amazon. And then yeah, red bag is the name of the novel that’s coming out in probably 2024.
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, the title may change, but it’s gonna come on 2320 The Fall, fall of 23 that comes out. Hopefully that’ll have
Scott Edwards:
led. Great, you have a book out now, don’t you? Peter?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, I just put it out. It’s, it’s just a self published book. I didn’t want to try and take it to anybody to try to get a publisher or anything, because it’s kind of a funky, funky book, funky idea. So it’d be a tough sell. What’s that I just want to do, it’s called a Peter golf. He’s unseen America. And it’s, and it’s a tour of 15 and a half of the most unique cities in America. And it’s um, and it’s, it’s a humor travel book.
Scott Edwards:
And it’s a great concept though. And either way, don’t be embarrassed about self publishing. There’s I happen to have a book coming out at the end of this week that is self published on the 20 answers to being a stand up comic, and it’ll be on Amazon by the time this comes out. But I think self publishing is the way to go these days if you want to control your market and your money from publishing obviously, there’s bigger money when you’re going through a huge publisher like you are with red bag, the Christmas book, but I think the unseen America through is it going to be available through Amazon?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, it’s up. It’s up right now on Amazon. And, and it’s and then I did the reason I like doing this I’m going to have a volume two is going to come out in like six months and it’ll have volume three, and it’s going to focus just on one city and in America. And so, it it’s great because I just wanted to sort of in a way make fun of the of books and General, you know, just the the structure of a book. And also, then also not have to not have to really make any adjustments to what I wanted it to be, I just thought I would just come up with whatever I want to come up with. And just throw it all on a book and see what it looks like and then just put it up. And so that’s, that’s what I did. And, and I think it’s great, I really, I really like it, you know, it’s not gonna be everybody’s cup of tea, just like any comedy product is. And so. So I think but I think I think it’s great. And it’s been, it’s been really fun putting it together, I’ve already written the second book. And so it’s really fun to figure out ways to tweak them and make them different than Well, I want to know, it’s great,
Scott Edwards:
I want to interject and just let the audience know that after being a comedy writer for TV and movies all these years, it had to have been frustrating. And yet, it’s part of the industry that you write something, and then 10 Other people put their twist on it or change it, or do something different, you know, like you write a movie script, by the time it gets through the rewrites. And then the director, what ends up on the screen is not what you wrote. And that’s just the way Hollywood works, which is one thing you kind of have to expect. But it’s also really frustrating. And I think it’s kind of genius, that, hey, I don’t want to deal with that anymore. I’m gonna write my book my way, come hell or high water? We’ll see how it does. Is that kind of what you’re saying?
Peter Gualke:
Yeah, and you know, I don’t know anything about I’ve never been good at making money. And so I think that that’s not something I’m really, I have to I can focus on or I can even think about because I’m just don’t know how to do it. And so what, what is what I can do, though, is just do something as a hobby, and just do what I want to do with it. That’s why I love I’ve always loved doing little projects, no matter what they are. The where, where it’s just, I’m just doing what I want to do. And and if you have to, if you have to actually think about trying to make money with something like that, then there’s really you probably shouldn’t do it. But yeah, it’s it’s, that’s the kind of stuff that’s why I like the original strange wilderness to is because it was just really just doing something exactly the way you want to do it at the time. And, and then those are the things that you’re most proud of, I think because anything else I’ve done, has always been tweaked and tinkered with in other ways by a lot of people because this is a collaborative business we’re in there’s like, you know, hundreds of people involved in putting things together. And, and so you can’t really hang on to, you know, control of anything like that. You just have to let it go and realize what it is.
Scott Edwards:
Right? Right. That’s it’s the way the industry industry works. But doing a self published book, your way with your writing without other third party getting involved, gives you that. That personal touch your comedy genius getting out there. So ladies and gentlemen, this is a podcast is several weeks before Christmas. So you want that unique Christmas gift go to Amazon and Google either Peter bulky, or the book unseen. America makes a great gift. And I just think that’s an amazing story. Starting off as a gymnast at UCLA, to being a published author is just such a great last 40 or so years, Peter, and I know that you’re a little hard on yourself, but I’m proud of you. And I think you’ve done some amazing things. Me too. Good. Good. I want to hear that positive energy. All right. Well, thanks for doing the interview. Peter. Ladies and gentlemen, keep an eye out for 12 days of Christmas. The novel red bag in a couple of years right now go to Amazon and get unseen America.
Peter Gualke:
All keys unseen America, I think there’s a couple of things named unseen America.
Scott Edwards:
So okay, they have to say Peter gall keys unseen America, that’s important to point out. Thanks, Peter. And right now I have a little bit of Stand Up Comedy recorded from back in the 80s. And share that with the audience. But I want to say thanks so much for doing this interview. Congratulations on all your success. And all the movies you’ve mentioned I’ve seen, and I didn’t even know that you had touched some of them. So it’s really exciting for me to get this opportunity to work with you again. And hopefully we’ll be able to do something again soon. Ladies and gentlemen, Peter gawky. Thank you, buddy. Thanks, Scott. You’re talking. Here comes some stand up comedy by the one and only Peter gawky. Ladies and gentlemen, before I air this question, Quick recording of Peter gawky on stage. Lemme remind you, it’s very physical it includes the levitation bit and a couple other things. So use your imagination here we go enjoy
Peter Gualke:
oh thank you oh thank you oh thank you oh yes thank you very popular tonight my name is Peter Galkayo and I’m popular not to I don’t think I can tell the size of that thing. I want this to get that big. It was hard as a rock. I can eat anything and not gain weight. Thank you. So you want to do is before I eat a huge meal? I saw a hefty trash can liner when I’m three nine just take that thing out of there you can’t get away like that. I’m a genius I went skydiving last week. It was great. They took an airplane preparing for my jump but 70,000 feet that’s why I was in a space shuttle they loved me up there arranged my pants burst into flames he was so intense all the time hit the ground balls left me was my thing. But those are the days it was great. I was falling faster than normal because I had a chair strapped to my chest I know like I hurt when I landed too because I noticed the chair was missing the little rubber feet on the bottom of the leg actually my parachute didn’t even open but I was okay because I landed right here saved my life I’m very grateful on something apart now separate slugs. They have a big problem with slugs here because so damp outside every time I wake up in the morning. Of course I have big big honkin slugs running dry in fact this I saw this woman up the driveway here a big African slugger and they just love it I will kill it back my car because the back wheel that’s just that just pick them up and it’s bad just get rid of this wrong that is so heavy that when they hit the pavement they go have a girl like her oh she bugs me just never stops talking just thinking thinking thinking just think I can connect says listen anything I say anyone’s thinking you know she actually she her ears have actually the ball hurt the side of her head it’s all smooth right here because his you use them anymore you can think you can continue to make her mouth more Fisher has done the slope back right it’s also part of the brain and workspaces expand the side of her head like a balloon so you can call her mouth because on our lips he’s got those little rubber things like a SAN elevator doors that’s why I love Yeah one of the doctor last week at my sperm count taking pretty disappointing one but it’s this big. Nothing can stop that thing. Gotta find a way to get it out you know, my one ambition in life is to live forever. You know what? So far so good. Yeah. Now right now ladies and gentlemen, I would like to perform for you Peter Balki is famous lactation routine Okay, and I like to bring up the volunteer that I picked earlier this evening. Please come on up here. Let’s hear it for Come on. Again what I like to do is stand behind this chair right here if you will, right behind here. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And now at the count of three. I want you to pull the chair out from underneath my hand. begin the countdown All right now I want you to move towards the other chair. With me now I can hold this much longer. I want you to pull the chair out from underneath my feet. The count of three begin the countdown I am now i amount levitating just a little bit off the ground. I’m putting an air gun it feels good. And I’ll quickly pick up the hoop behind me and approve that I’m not being held up by cables or wires. I want you to run the hoop underneath my body from head to toe. Quickly now, all the way quickly. No like Uh huh. There you go. Good. Okay, all the way
Scott Edwards:
that was Peter gawky live on stage. Like I said a strange but very entertaining comedian and he’s gone on to fame and fortune is a comedy writer for TV and movies. And be sure to check out his book for the Christmas holidays Peter gall keys unseen America. Alright, thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with another great show. Bye.
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